Two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka will miss the US Open for the second year in a row, the result of an ongoing personal matter. It is unknown if she will play in other events for the remainder of the year.

The 28-year-old announced her pregnancy in July 2016, sitting out the rest of the year and giving birth to her son Leo, in December. She originally planned to return during this year’s US Open Series but moved up her return date, making her 2017 debut at the Wimbledon tune-up in Mallorca, Spain, where she advanced to the second round.

Azarenka then accepted a wild card into Wimbledon, where she made it to the fourth round before falling to world No. 2 Simona Halep. Azarenka’s strong showing surged her rankings from No. 683 to No. 204.

Azarenka fell to Serena Williams in the US Open final in 2012 and 2013, both in three sets. In addition, she has won two Australian Open titles, has been to the semifinals or better at all four majors and owns 20 career titles, including three in 2016 (Brisbane, Miami, Indian Wells) before announcing her pregnancy.

She has also earned six doubles titles and two Grand Slam mixed doubles crowns, and won the gold medal in mixed doubles at the 2012 Olympics with Max Mirnyi.

In a statement from Azarenka, she plans to return to New York in 2018.

“I am sadly unable to compete in this year's US Open due to my ongoing family situation that I am working through,” she said. “While I will dearly miss being in New York and playing in one of my favorite tournaments where I have enjoyed some of the best moments in my career, I am already looking forward to being back next year.”

This is a shocking concept, I know. But you can read the reporting and other media elements on the website for free.

However, it costs money to run, to pay quality, credible people to work to get that information, and to travel to events to cover them.

If there's no reward in at least getting readership numbers by directing people there to read the work, to make the sponsors who buy time on the site that enables the information to be disseminated for free to feel their expense is justified, then the model is unsustainable. And they will disappear.

And then you will have increasingly less original and quality info to cut and paste and react to here. And other websites who don't incur those significant expenses will have less information to cut and paste and scrape to boost their own page views.

The full circle of that process seems obvious and reasonable. I asked nicely. I'm not sure why you feel compelled to bash me for it.

Aug 11th, 2017 03:09 PM

fed_up

Re: News and updates about Victoria Azarenka

what a mess. If he remains at home, she's screwed. He will ask for child support money since he's the one who can offer a more stable environment (same house, same bed, a familiar environment ) .

So they either reach an amicable agreement, or given how WTA tournaments work she's screwed.

Marin Cilic, the defending men’s champion, and Victoria Azarenka, the 2013 women’s champion, have both withdrawn from the 2017 Western & Southern Open.

Cilic has withdrawn due to an adductor injury that has kept him out since Wimbledon. “I was really eager to play in Cincinnati, where I've won my first career ATP Masters 1000 singles title last year and where I had one of the best performances during my career, but I still don't feel at 100 percent to compete at the top level and to defend my title there,“ Cilic said.

Azarenka has withdrawn for personal reasons. “I am disappointed to have to pull out of the Western & Southern Open due to a family matter,” Azarenka said. “I look forward to coming back to Cincinnati and playing in front of its great fans for many years to come.”

The draw for the 2017 Western & Southern Open will take place Friday night at 6 pm. Daily play beings Saturday at 10 a.m. and continues through to the finals next Sunday, Aug.

The pure joy exhibited by Victoria Azarenka in her first few months of motherhood has turned into a nightmare. Until now, the news has only appeared in one media outlet, the Israel newspaper Yediot Acharonot. But Tennis.Life has learned, from a reliable source, that the 28-year-old from Belarus has been through a horrifying ordeal since returning home from Wimbledon. Instead of focusing on her return to the court after giving birth to son Leo last December and enjoying that irreplaceable first year of motherhood, she has been fighting for the right to see her son.

Breakup, and custody battle looming?

Azarenka pulled out of a planned participation in the Stanford event last week, citing a viral illness. In fact, her ex-boyfriend Billy McKeague, the father of son Leo, filed papers to gain temporary custody of their seven-month old son just before she was to leave.

Azarenka is not an American citizen, which appears to have played in her ex’s favour. And so, her son was – temporarily – taken from her to be with his father. What a terrifying, devastating thing for a new mother to go through.

We’re told that since then, the former couple has negotiated a more equitable 50/50 arrangement. But the custody process has barely begun. The Israeli report stated there is to be a hearing in Belarus in mid-September. Tennis.life is told the location of that hearing is inaccurate.

US Open not ruled out

Azarenka is still entered in the US Open. But given the circumstances, her leaving the state and bringing baby Leo with her to New York City could be problematic. And imagine trying to focus on trying to win tennis matches when you’re dealing with something like this. As anyone who has gone through a custody case knows, these matters can take an eternity to resolve.

Azarenka looked positively luminous at Wimbledon, her first Grand Slam since becoming a mother. The new chapter appeared to be the most joyful time of her life, with so much to look forward to. Instead, she’s going to have to muster all of her renowned toughness to ensure the best outcome for both herself, and her son.

There has been no official comment so far from Azarenka, or her representatives. You’d have to think something will be forthcoming, as the news spreads.

Aug 11th, 2017 06:31 AM

HowardH

Re: News and updates about Victoria Azarenka

Wait, is that for real? The dad is trying to battle her for custody? I want to believe that's fake but... I guess we'll find out after a while. If real, this is not good. Why can't people come up with mutually beneficial arrangements? I know at least one split family that has managed to share their kids in a mostly positive way, thereby giving their kids effectively four parents, I admit they are an exception to the rule but I've seen that it can be done... so long as one of the parties isn't a douchebag.

Victoria Azarenka, one of the most successful tennis players in the world in recent years, has struggled over the past year to hold her eldest son with the help of an Israeli lawyer. If she won the trial, the tennis player promised to visit Israel as an honor to the state.

Victoria Azarenka, a citizen of Belarus and Monaco, who twice won the Australian Open and is now considered one of the richest women in white sports, released in July 2016 an exciting statement that she and her partner Billy McKeague are expecting a baby, with all the implications for her sporting and economic career. The birth passed smoothly, and when she embraced the baby, Azarenka returned to play vigorously and regained her senior position in world sports.

A year later, in July 2017, after the couple's relationship ended, McKeague went to the Beverly Hills court on the grounds that he was concerned about the abduction of the baby by Azarenka. During a brief period the court ordered the child to be held in Los Angeles. McKeague had held the seven-month-old baby and had kept Azarenka from sleeping with her baby.

Due to the complexity of the procedure, along with the local lawyer who represents the tennis player, she decided to turn to the Israeli lawyer Zeev Welner, one of the leading family court lawyers in Israel. After two weeks of marathon preparation of the procedure, which was kept secret from the world media and from many fans, the decision concerning overnight stays and the urgent question of parental authority raised by Azarenka, which will be heard by the court in Belarus.

Valner has announced that he is also preparing a damages claim for the huge damage caused by the former partner and that Azarenka has already lost the upcoming tournament in Cincinnati and if it loses its participation in US Open at the end of the month, the cumulative damage will reach at least $ 10 million. The next hearing was scheduled for September and Valner knows that Azarenka's chances are very good. If she wins, the tennis player promised to reward the lawyer for coming to Israel and showing respect for the state.

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